Tag Archives: Authentic voice

Speak of I, Me Not You, Us, Them or We

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speakWhen I speak it’s very tempting to drift into using ‘you’, ‘us’ or ‘we’ when I really mean ‘I’. It’s one of the things I really noticed when I started giving people Spirit messages.

You or we has become a habit for me. It developed a long time ago so it has been hard to break out from it. Especially in my speaking work. I hear myself using ‘we’ to say what the Spirit people are saying or when I’m trying to describe how mediumship works. These collective pronouns leap to the front. It’s as if I my experiences only have validity if they apply to more than me. So ‘all people’ … Or ‘we all know’ … Even ‘those of us’ … And ‘you all say’ … The pronouns trip off my tongue so easily as I speak, readily giving me the sense of belonging. They link me to a shared identity, opinion or value. They also trap me because my own identity, opinion or values are hidden underneath a collective idea of belonging.

I lose my own voice. Even my own sense of self. I am not speaking from my position as an ‘I’ meaning individual. I have become merged, lumped in, invisible. This became much more apparent to me when I had to find my writing voice. I have a handy free little widget on my web site called Yoast SEO. It’s there to help me climb the Google ranking by letting search engines find my web pages. It tells me when I’m using a passive voice in my writing. Especially when I do too much you, us, them, we. Of course I’ve had to think about my sentence construction. Reminding myself that I speak to others exactly like I would talk. So I have to come from an ‘I’ perspective.

Though that does make explaining things slightly more tricky. Because I have to own what I am saying. I can’t bounce it off to others. I have to speak for myself and my ideas.

It all boils down to saying what I believe instead of generalising. The more I’ve written the stronger my writing voice has become. All due to owning my ‘I’ ness when I’m speaking in my blog or anywhere else. When I read back what I have written I’m checking to see that I own my views. Looking to connect with the authenticity of me. And being clear that I speak as an individual from my heart. I guess what I’m saying is that I am finally owning myself. This goes further too. In my speaking voice I am clear that I speak for the Spirit World but the way I do so is my own. They can ask me to pass a message across but how it actually arrives will be filtered through my words.

My Guides like me owning my share of the message. I have always been encouraged by them to speak as I find, to give what I get or say what I see. They recognise the ‘I’ in our humanity even as we work hard to hide in a collective language. My Guides have also pushed me to find my true self. I’ve been supported by my experiences to really find and say all that I believe to be right for me. I feel that is the ultimate beauty and reward of speaking with my ‘I’ voice. Because I have something unique to contribute. Although it might be similar to what others say it will always have an energy of me attached. My Guides remind me that knowing my ‘I’ as absolutely as possible will bring me the greater blending with we, us and them.

You see … I have to exist before I can become we and then us. Collectively we all exist together to speak and listen in equal measure. Because the Spirit World is the loving surrender of I to we, where giving and receiving finally balance out. Own yourself when you speak so that all of us can own our community.

Day 711 of my blogging challenge

Verbal Verity: Speaking My Truth From Now On

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Verbal verityI’m sitting in the evening sunshine thinking about yesterday. My verbal expressions as a part of the end of Mercury retrograde. And about speaking my truth.

I’m running a challenge. A group of people finding their writing voice. And yesterday I was the only one who wrote about the topic I had suggested. Until it went past midnight. Then a couple of other people managed to express themselves in their writing. It made me stop and think about my voice. About how to make things verbal. Give voice to my inner world. Become vocal. Making sounds, speech, that conveys what I think or feel. And how authentic that sound is. How do I say things so that they have a meaning for those who choose to listen? Can I get my own voice out there in the first place? I know it’s an important thing for me to work out. Because I do my weekly Letters From The Light Side broadcast with words inspired by Energy Beings.

And I have to be clear where my voice ends and their voices start. I’m being verbal on the behalf of what the Energy Beings believe. Yet I also have my own set of values and beliefs. It’s important to me not to dilute their voices by distorting the verity of what they give me. My persona thoughts and feelings have to be on one side so I can speak their truth. But I also need to be able to speak my truth when it’s appropriate. Yesterday was a reminder to make sure I have removed anything that might block my voice. Because I am aware that our verbal exchanges are conditional. I know we follow rules of communication that have been set for us by the society and culture we are born into.

What are the rules? How do the words turn into a spoken meaning? And who sets the standards of truthfulness?

A discussion on Thursday reminded me of that. Different languages have different rules. That are not always easy to work out. I’m staying near a place called Kirkcudbright but it’s pronounced KirCOObree. Anyone studying English would wonder why. But it’s in Scotland where lots of words are pronounced differently. And it’s a sort of test, I suppose, of whether you are paying attention, or interested in saying the place name authentically. That’s only one little part of verbal veracity. What about others? As a woman there are voices I’m not supposed to use in certain circumstances. I’m not supposed to be aggressive, except in defence of my loved ones. My voice is supposed to be soft and nurturing. A hearty laugh belongs to the world of men.

I’m generally expected not to have an opinion on politics, religion or any of the affairs of a mans world. Also to know my place and when I’m supposed to say nothing. In the end, it’s worth acknowledging that there are many constraints on my voice. Not for the purpose of blame. But to understand how much a challenge it might be for me to verbalise what I feel or think. And even more challenging to offer what I feel is my truth. About anything. In fact some days I am amazed that I can speak at all. So what about all this Mercury energy. It’s been an interesting blast because for a long time I have been stripping away the layers of conditioning. I’ve been trying to find my authentic self so I can have an inner conversation.

Now I feel I’ve sounded out and rehearsed my authentic inner Spirit voice. The barriers are gone. So it’s time for me to bring that verbal skill out into the open. To speak for whole myself. As well as to speak in the service of Energy Beings. Are you ready to speak your spiritual truth too?

Day 656 of my blogging challenge 

Mischievious Mercury Wants The Last Laugh

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Is it mischievious or mischievous? English words can be tricky to spell and say. No wonder the planet of communication, Mercury, is always taking us forward and then back.

Today was certainly a forward and backward day. The final blast of Mercury’s retrograde energy as we move into it’s forward influence again. Like the way to spell mischievious  (that’s the way I learned to spell it). Apparently that spelling fell out of use some time around 1700 so the popular way to spell the word is mischievous. I wonder if my teachers knew that? Whatever way you spell this tricky word I suspect you might also have found today a bit weird. Especially when communicating. Because it has been a day of standing my ground and speaking my truth. Some practice that I badly needed. It’s part of the shift into authenticity.

That’s the joke Mercury wants me to see. Despite the messing about with my car (after some super work by a brilliant mechanic it’s managed to get another noise when it’s running) I have been able to get to my weekend destination. Later than I expected. But still  where I wanted to be. Though it involved spending my morning in a garage trying to resolve how the noise had developed whilst it was in there. Fortunately I spent a pleasant time with a friend this afternoon while my car was being checked over by a person I trust. What I also had to do was resolve why the car had a noise. So it meant keeping focused. And aware of the trickery that might be involved.

Not all that’s mischievious is pleasant. Sometimes it can be sharp practice. Working out whether it’s a fun joke or double dealing is important. And I need to be able to ask for the truth.

But that’s difficult in some situations. Today I had to step out of a common experience I’ve had many times. Finding a garage to look after my car has always been a challenge. I know I’m not particularly bothered about what is under the bonet of my car but I expect that someone servicing or repairing it should be honest. Unfortunately what I have noticed is that work costs a lot more than it should. All sorts of new problems turn up. And the attitude of the men in the garage has left a lot to be desired. I’m talking about patronising. They assume that I will take what they say as the whole truth. Although I have learned, to my cost, that it isn’t.

In the past I have left and never used that garage again. Unfortunately I’ve left without saying how poor the customer service has been. And without challenging what I’ve been told. Even when I’ve actually known better. Not today though. Mischievious Mercury had me expressing myself better than ever. Telling it the way I saw it. In the end I’m sure the noise in my car will get resolved. Because I’ve been authentic about my feelings. Actually it felt really good to have a voice in a situation I’ve felt dumb about before. As I drove along this evening I was laughing as I sang along to the loud music. Laughing because I couldn’t hear the mysterious new noise anyway. Laughing because my lovely car was motoring better than every.

So I’ll happily give Mercury the last laugh. I’m ready to move forward again in my communications with others. Now I’ve stood my ground and found my ‘don’t mess about’ voice.

Day 655 of my blogging challenge 

Writing Inspiration: Nearly Time For Another Challenge

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WritingTime off always gives me time to think. My writing has been moving on this year because I have added in my Inspired 2 Write challenges on Facebook. Today I was reflecting on the four I’ve run.

I love supporting people to find their authentic voice. Running four of these writing challenges has be a part of that. Because it took me a long time to find my own voice through my written words. Even now I face a daily challenge of expressing what I want to say so that it makes sense to anyone who wants to read it. I’m determined to keep going. There are more words, thoughts and ideas I want to share about my intuitive life, about the intutive world and about spirituality. I also recognise that keeping going can be a challenge too. Especially when I’m not sure anyone is reading what I write. Yet watching the words flow out is a reminder that we are all creative. But perhaps haven’t discovered it yet.

I was listening to the rain. Watching the clouds shroud the mountain across from me. Then seeing the clouds clear away. And everything appeared fresh and clean. I believe that’s what writing does. Clears my mind. Helps me to focus on what is important. Each blast of ‘rain’ and ‘cloud’ can be cleared away when I put it down into words. Not only is my voice emerging but I’m also seeing my world with fresh eyes. I feel that is such a blessing. And I am growing in my confidence to express what I want to say about my world. In my own particular way. That’s why Inspired 2 Write 5 is on it’s way in. I want to encourage other people to gain more confidence through their writing.

In this short blog I hope I have shared with you my passion for writing. I would like to encourage you in joining me in a new challenge. Click the link to my I2W5 Facebook group. Join me in exploring your voice through your written work. Let’s take a fascinating, and life changing, journey together.

Day 632 of my blogging challenge